History of Psychic Truth Continued
A brief history of the Psychic Truth Society (PTS) from 1942 to 1975.
PTS is a spiritualist church founded 1942 during WWII and based in Liverpool, England. The members started in the late 1940s to raise money to purchase the current building located at 44 Parkfield Road, L17 4LF, using a hefty annual membership which was a guinea (considered a lot of money back in the 1940s). This money was saved over many years (nearly 10 years) by many members to help purchase the property at 44 Parkfield Road room by room and floor by floor. By 1954, the members raised the capital to complete the purchase via their annual memberships and so the building was fully purchased by 1954. The founding members were John McNaught, Frank Bovenizer and Harold Joseph Olney. See the '1954 Freehold conveyance of 44 Parkfield' under Other PTS Documents . Unfortunately, all founding members died at an early age by 1958.
In 1975 a restriction was placed on the building with the Charities Commission that made the Charities Commission the legal custodian of the 44 Parkfield Road property and this restriction was entered into the Birkenhead Land Registry in 1975. Also, in 1975 the PTS Committee also applied to the Charities Commission to become a charity but never completed the documentation. PTS members Muriel "Lola" McNaught, who was John McNaught's sister, Mabel Robertson, and Thomas Oldfield were voted upon and approved by the PTS members in 1975 to be trustees for the 44 Parkfield Road property. According to the PTS Constitution, trustees were approved every year by PTS members voting at the annual general meeting (AGM). Lola wrote and submitted a two page document to the Charities Commission that outlines the history of the PTS and how PTS came about buying the 44 Parkfield Road property. To access this public document in pdf format obtained from the Charities Commission under the Freedom of Information Act, go here:
Other PTS Documents
Three landholding trustees for 44 Parkfield Road land registry continue to be voted upon and approved every year from 1975 to 1996.
The three landholding trustees are: Lola Wyatt McNaught, Mabel Robertson, and Thomas Oldfield. To see a historical copy of the land registry document showing these trustees and the restriction placed upon the land registry registration in April 1975, go here: 44 Parkfield Rd Land Registry
Mabel Robertson dies in November 1996 and a new trustee was appointed but not registered in 1997. For FIVE years no annual vote to approve trustees is taken.
Before Mabel died, 1997 was the last year a vote was taken at the Feb AGM to re-appoint trustees which was done annually in the years preceding 1997. Starting at the February AGM meeting in 1998, trustees are no longer voted upon to be re-appointed and so Mabel's name continues to remain on the land registry for 44 Parkfield Road even though a new trustee, Ken Swindells, was appointed at the February AGM in 1997.
Everything changes in April 2001 when Lola McNaught appoints Terry Forsyth and Mary Stevenson as new trustees for 44 Parkfield Road land registry without approval from PTS members and committee. No special AGM is held after changes are made in April 2001. The then president, Tommy Richardson, resigned in protest with immediate effect. Soon after Tommy Richardson, who was severely disabled and nearly blind and was being treated in the hospital, was forced out of Flat #1 by Forsyth and Stevenson, and made homeless despite having paid monthly rent for many years.
Everything changed when Lola McNaught appointed Terry Forsyth and Mary Stevenson trustees to the Land Registry for 44 Parkfield in April 2001 without discussion or approval from the existing PTS Committee or without a vote from the PTS members in 2001. Thomas Oldfield also resigned as a property trustee in April 2001 when Lola told him she was appointing both Terry Forsyth and Mary Stevenson as trustees and removing Mabel Robertson who had died in November 1996. Lola was in failing health in 2001 as she was approaching her 100th birthday (she was born 9 October 1903) and could barely see to write or read per those who knew Lola. At that time, 2001, Mr. Forsyth had taken upon himself to oversee Lola's personal affairs and household because she was unable and had no surviving family.
To access a copy of the signed Deed of Appointment (obtained from Birkenhead land registry) showing the names and signatures in April 2001 of these changes, go here: Other PTS Documents
To access the land registry document in 2001 that shows the new trustees, go here: 44 Parkfield Rd Land Registry
Lola McNaught's health declines as she is in her late 90s, and is now 98 years old when attends the last PTS AGM in February 2002. Her very last appearance at 44 Parkfield Road PTS was at the special John McNaught memorial day held in September 2002, roughly a month before her 99th birthday. It was observed that she could not read nor write and had to be helped into and out of the building. She could barely walk, and was losing her eyesight.
Per the PTS Constitution, Lola McNaught illegally makes Mr. Forsyth and Ms. Stevenson landholding trustees 10 months (April 2001) before holding a PTS AGM meeting in Feb 2002 to get approval.
Finally at the Feb 2002 PTS AGM, Lola McNaught announces that Mary Stevenson has been made a landholding trustee for 44 Parkfield Road and a vote is taken to approve this appointment, but she neglects to mention that she has also appointed Mr. Forsyth and so no vote is taken to approve Mr. Forsyth as a landholding trustee.
At the February 2002 AGM, Lola announces that Thomas Oldfield has resigned as a trustee, and she has appointed Mary Stevenson a trustee but doesn't announce that she has also appointed Terry Forsyth. No vote is taken by the members to approve the new trustees which contradicts previous protocol at PTS.
Psychic Truth Society becomes a full registered charity #1097644 in 2003.
Alex Matier, then PTS Treasurer, succeeds in getting Psychic Truth Society registered as a full charity #1097644 with the Charities Commission despite objections from Mr. Forsyth and Lola McNaught.
See document showing registration of Psychic Truth Society with Charities Commission, go here: Other PTS Documents
Muriel "Lola" McNaught dies 1 August 2005.
The memorial service was held a week later at PTS and her remains were cremated and scattered in the garden at PTS. Lola was born in 9 October 1903 and lived to the age of 101, just a few months short of her 102nd birthday. In the preceding years leading up to her death, she became an invalid, had limited mobility and her eyesight was failing. Regardless, she was still well enough to attend some PTS annual meetings in the late 90s and early 2000s. Lola had no children and never married and had outlived all of her immediate family members. It is not known if she had any distant relatives left.
Probate for the estate of Muriel "Lola" McNaught is completed on 28 September 2006 and makes Terence Forsyth the primary beneficiary and also an executor of her sizeable estate (£394,626).
In spite of Lola's long involvement with PTS since the 1950's, her will makes no mention of Psychic Truth Society. She leaves not a single pound for PTS despite having been heard on numerous occassions at PTS Annual General Meetings in the 1990's that she intended to leave money for PTS in her will. Interestingly, each time she was said to have made this statement at the annual PTS AGM meeting about her intention to leave money for PTS in her will, Terry Forsyth always directed the meetings minute secretary to cross out her statement according to several witnesses.
However, she did leave money in a privately held trust fund, that was held at the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in Kent to provide money to be given to registered charities. She did not give control of the McNaught trust fund in her will to Terence or 'Terry' Forsyth--instead leaving that to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). Regarding her will, she gave him no written instructions despite stipulating in her will that she would provide written instructions before she died. Any information about donations made from the McNaught trust fund are private except that it has been closed, and therefore any information about any other trust fund that Mr. Forsyth had setup in his own name by Lola McNaught is not available to the public.
See public document of the completed probate and last will of Muriel "Lola" McNaught here: Lola McNaught Probate and Will
Alex and Susan Matier, Treasurer and President of PTS, are forced off the PTS Committee by Terry Forsyth in July 2008.
Terry Forsyth forces them to resign because he co-opts onto the PTS Committee several new PTS committee members: Barbara Peterson, Sharon Tso, John Healey, Shirley Abouyahad and Yvonne Hanson.
The new PTS Committee members were appointed even though many of them had not been a PTS member for the prescribed 3 years.
After forcing out the Matiers in July 2008 who never signed a resignation letter of any kind, Mr. Terry Forsyth then nominated himself for President of PTS and was finally voted President at the very same Feb 2009 AGM meeting at which the 81-year-old woman "Jean" who is confined to a wheelchair, and was a PTS member for over 40 years, was yelled at by Forsyth to "shut up" and then ordered to leave the meeting--see her statement 'Jean's Story'. An extraordinary AGM meeting in July 2008 should have been held to formally approve Mr. Forsyth as the new President by both PTS Members and PTS Committee Members, but instead Forsyth threatened the Matiers with being voted out by the newly co-opted PTS Committee Members, many of whom had not been PTS Members for the prescribed 3 years as stated in the PTS Constitution.
Terry Forsyth's sister-in-law appears to be paid an excessive amount to perform the annual audit of the PTS accounts.
Per the most recent annual accounts made available for the year 2009 that were obtained from the Charities Commission website, go to the Charities Commission website to pull up that account.
From October 2005 to May 2009, no Warden is appointed. Several tenants take care of the gardens, the building, help with services but are told to stop by Forsyth after he co-opts five new PTS Committee Members to the PTS Committee in the summer of 2008.
Little maintenance is done on 44 Parkfield and the gardens go into decline once Forsyth takes control of the PTS Committee in July 2008 and orders unpaid volunteers, the Duffys, to stop helping in the fall of 2008.
It is not clear from the few annual reports available from the Charities Commission website for PTS whether or not Terry Forsyth made any donations to PTS from 2008 thru 2011, as no donations from him show up on the accounts for 2008, 2009, and 2010 during which the 44 Parkfield Road building has been allowed to go into a state of disrepair and neglect. Minor repairs like replacing broken/burned out outside lights in the front of the main entrance (visitors could have easily slipped and fallen) were not done for two years until Jan 2011.
Fire breaks out hours after the contentious Feb 2009 AGM Meeting
A fire in flat #2 broke out in February 2009 apparently due to a short in the electrical wiring, an insurance claim of roughly £12,000 was made, and so £12,000 was paid out in repairs for flat #2 per the Charities Commission chart of accounts for the year 2009. Some former PTS Committee Members have questioned whether £12,000 was needed when it appears that less than £6,000 worth of repairs (includes cost of new appliances for both Flats #1 and #2) was needed. Aside from making repairs to flat #2, very little maintenance work was done during this time.
Finally Electrical Repairs Are Finally Made in 2011.
Electrical repairs that were estimated to cost over £20,000 were finally done inhouse in the spring and summer of 2011 for less than half by a dedicated volunteer who has done extensive electrical work. Mr. Forsyth received repair estimates in the fall of 2010 for this work from the previous 'building manager' he appointed, Mr. Phil Renton, who did a fire hazard walkthrough and evaluation. Interestingly, Mr. Renton resigned within a few months of submitting his cost estimates and building evaluation reports. Forsyth claimed he lost Renton's excel spreadsheet files due to viruses and thus wasn't able to follow thru with promises made in late 2010 and early 2011 to match half of the PTS donations received for this work. If the electrical work had not been done in 2011, it is said that Forsyth would have been able to make a case for closing the building and thus putting the building up for a distressed sale.
In 1975 a restriction was placed on the building with the Charities Commission that made the Charities Commission the legal custodian of the 44 Parkfield Road property and this restriction was entered into the Birkenhead Land Registry in 1975. Also, in 1975 the PTS Committee also applied to the Charities Commission to become a charity but never completed the documentation. PTS members Muriel "Lola" McNaught, who was John McNaught's sister, Mabel Robertson, and Thomas Oldfield were voted upon and approved by the PTS members in 1975 to be trustees for the 44 Parkfield Road property. According to the PTS Constitution, trustees were approved every year by PTS members voting at the annual general meeting (AGM). Lola wrote and submitted a two page document to the Charities Commission that outlines the history of the PTS and how PTS came about buying the 44 Parkfield Road property. To access this public document in pdf format obtained from the Charities Commission under the Freedom of Information Act, go here:
Other PTS Documents
Three landholding trustees for 44 Parkfield Road land registry continue to be voted upon and approved every year from 1975 to 1996.
The three landholding trustees are: Lola Wyatt McNaught, Mabel Robertson, and Thomas Oldfield. To see a historical copy of the land registry document showing these trustees and the restriction placed upon the land registry registration in April 1975, go here: 44 Parkfield Rd Land Registry
Mabel Robertson dies in November 1996 and a new trustee was appointed but not registered in 1997. For FIVE years no annual vote to approve trustees is taken.
Before Mabel died, 1997 was the last year a vote was taken at the Feb AGM to re-appoint trustees which was done annually in the years preceding 1997. Starting at the February AGM meeting in 1998, trustees are no longer voted upon to be re-appointed and so Mabel's name continues to remain on the land registry for 44 Parkfield Road even though a new trustee, Ken Swindells, was appointed at the February AGM in 1997.
Everything changes in April 2001 when Lola McNaught appoints Terry Forsyth and Mary Stevenson as new trustees for 44 Parkfield Road land registry without approval from PTS members and committee. No special AGM is held after changes are made in April 2001. The then president, Tommy Richardson, resigned in protest with immediate effect. Soon after Tommy Richardson, who was severely disabled and nearly blind and was being treated in the hospital, was forced out of Flat #1 by Forsyth and Stevenson, and made homeless despite having paid monthly rent for many years.
Everything changed when Lola McNaught appointed Terry Forsyth and Mary Stevenson trustees to the Land Registry for 44 Parkfield in April 2001 without discussion or approval from the existing PTS Committee or without a vote from the PTS members in 2001. Thomas Oldfield also resigned as a property trustee in April 2001 when Lola told him she was appointing both Terry Forsyth and Mary Stevenson as trustees and removing Mabel Robertson who had died in November 1996. Lola was in failing health in 2001 as she was approaching her 100th birthday (she was born 9 October 1903) and could barely see to write or read per those who knew Lola. At that time, 2001, Mr. Forsyth had taken upon himself to oversee Lola's personal affairs and household because she was unable and had no surviving family.
To access a copy of the signed Deed of Appointment (obtained from Birkenhead land registry) showing the names and signatures in April 2001 of these changes, go here: Other PTS Documents
To access the land registry document in 2001 that shows the new trustees, go here: 44 Parkfield Rd Land Registry
Lola McNaught's health declines as she is in her late 90s, and is now 98 years old when attends the last PTS AGM in February 2002. Her very last appearance at 44 Parkfield Road PTS was at the special John McNaught memorial day held in September 2002, roughly a month before her 99th birthday. It was observed that she could not read nor write and had to be helped into and out of the building. She could barely walk, and was losing her eyesight.
Per the PTS Constitution, Lola McNaught illegally makes Mr. Forsyth and Ms. Stevenson landholding trustees 10 months (April 2001) before holding a PTS AGM meeting in Feb 2002 to get approval.
Finally at the Feb 2002 PTS AGM, Lola McNaught announces that Mary Stevenson has been made a landholding trustee for 44 Parkfield Road and a vote is taken to approve this appointment, but she neglects to mention that she has also appointed Mr. Forsyth and so no vote is taken to approve Mr. Forsyth as a landholding trustee.
At the February 2002 AGM, Lola announces that Thomas Oldfield has resigned as a trustee, and she has appointed Mary Stevenson a trustee but doesn't announce that she has also appointed Terry Forsyth. No vote is taken by the members to approve the new trustees which contradicts previous protocol at PTS.
Psychic Truth Society becomes a full registered charity #1097644 in 2003.
Alex Matier, then PTS Treasurer, succeeds in getting Psychic Truth Society registered as a full charity #1097644 with the Charities Commission despite objections from Mr. Forsyth and Lola McNaught.
See document showing registration of Psychic Truth Society with Charities Commission, go here: Other PTS Documents
Muriel "Lola" McNaught dies 1 August 2005.
The memorial service was held a week later at PTS and her remains were cremated and scattered in the garden at PTS. Lola was born in 9 October 1903 and lived to the age of 101, just a few months short of her 102nd birthday. In the preceding years leading up to her death, she became an invalid, had limited mobility and her eyesight was failing. Regardless, she was still well enough to attend some PTS annual meetings in the late 90s and early 2000s. Lola had no children and never married and had outlived all of her immediate family members. It is not known if she had any distant relatives left.
Probate for the estate of Muriel "Lola" McNaught is completed on 28 September 2006 and makes Terence Forsyth the primary beneficiary and also an executor of her sizeable estate (£394,626).
In spite of Lola's long involvement with PTS since the 1950's, her will makes no mention of Psychic Truth Society. She leaves not a single pound for PTS despite having been heard on numerous occassions at PTS Annual General Meetings in the 1990's that she intended to leave money for PTS in her will. Interestingly, each time she was said to have made this statement at the annual PTS AGM meeting about her intention to leave money for PTS in her will, Terry Forsyth always directed the meetings minute secretary to cross out her statement according to several witnesses.
However, she did leave money in a privately held trust fund, that was held at the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in Kent to provide money to be given to registered charities. She did not give control of the McNaught trust fund in her will to Terence or 'Terry' Forsyth--instead leaving that to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). Regarding her will, she gave him no written instructions despite stipulating in her will that she would provide written instructions before she died. Any information about donations made from the McNaught trust fund are private except that it has been closed, and therefore any information about any other trust fund that Mr. Forsyth had setup in his own name by Lola McNaught is not available to the public.
See public document of the completed probate and last will of Muriel "Lola" McNaught here: Lola McNaught Probate and Will
Alex and Susan Matier, Treasurer and President of PTS, are forced off the PTS Committee by Terry Forsyth in July 2008.
Terry Forsyth forces them to resign because he co-opts onto the PTS Committee several new PTS committee members: Barbara Peterson, Sharon Tso, John Healey, Shirley Abouyahad and Yvonne Hanson.
The new PTS Committee members were appointed even though many of them had not been a PTS member for the prescribed 3 years.
After forcing out the Matiers in July 2008 who never signed a resignation letter of any kind, Mr. Terry Forsyth then nominated himself for President of PTS and was finally voted President at the very same Feb 2009 AGM meeting at which the 81-year-old woman "Jean" who is confined to a wheelchair, and was a PTS member for over 40 years, was yelled at by Forsyth to "shut up" and then ordered to leave the meeting--see her statement 'Jean's Story'. An extraordinary AGM meeting in July 2008 should have been held to formally approve Mr. Forsyth as the new President by both PTS Members and PTS Committee Members, but instead Forsyth threatened the Matiers with being voted out by the newly co-opted PTS Committee Members, many of whom had not been PTS Members for the prescribed 3 years as stated in the PTS Constitution.
Terry Forsyth's sister-in-law appears to be paid an excessive amount to perform the annual audit of the PTS accounts.
Per the most recent annual accounts made available for the year 2009 that were obtained from the Charities Commission website, go to the Charities Commission website to pull up that account.
From October 2005 to May 2009, no Warden is appointed. Several tenants take care of the gardens, the building, help with services but are told to stop by Forsyth after he co-opts five new PTS Committee Members to the PTS Committee in the summer of 2008.
Little maintenance is done on 44 Parkfield and the gardens go into decline once Forsyth takes control of the PTS Committee in July 2008 and orders unpaid volunteers, the Duffys, to stop helping in the fall of 2008.
It is not clear from the few annual reports available from the Charities Commission website for PTS whether or not Terry Forsyth made any donations to PTS from 2008 thru 2011, as no donations from him show up on the accounts for 2008, 2009, and 2010 during which the 44 Parkfield Road building has been allowed to go into a state of disrepair and neglect. Minor repairs like replacing broken/burned out outside lights in the front of the main entrance (visitors could have easily slipped and fallen) were not done for two years until Jan 2011.
Fire breaks out hours after the contentious Feb 2009 AGM Meeting
A fire in flat #2 broke out in February 2009 apparently due to a short in the electrical wiring, an insurance claim of roughly £12,000 was made, and so £12,000 was paid out in repairs for flat #2 per the Charities Commission chart of accounts for the year 2009. Some former PTS Committee Members have questioned whether £12,000 was needed when it appears that less than £6,000 worth of repairs (includes cost of new appliances for both Flats #1 and #2) was needed. Aside from making repairs to flat #2, very little maintenance work was done during this time.
Finally Electrical Repairs Are Finally Made in 2011.
Electrical repairs that were estimated to cost over £20,000 were finally done inhouse in the spring and summer of 2011 for less than half by a dedicated volunteer who has done extensive electrical work. Mr. Forsyth received repair estimates in the fall of 2010 for this work from the previous 'building manager' he appointed, Mr. Phil Renton, who did a fire hazard walkthrough and evaluation. Interestingly, Mr. Renton resigned within a few months of submitting his cost estimates and building evaluation reports. Forsyth claimed he lost Renton's excel spreadsheet files due to viruses and thus wasn't able to follow thru with promises made in late 2010 and early 2011 to match half of the PTS donations received for this work. If the electrical work had not been done in 2011, it is said that Forsyth would have been able to make a case for closing the building and thus putting the building up for a distressed sale.